today's Sermon on the Mount
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, 2and He began to teach them, saying:
3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice
and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12)
A Video that is making the rounds on youtube is of an older, overweight bus monitor who is being picked on mercilessly by the kids around her. These are not young kids, they are at least 12 years old, old enough to know better! Old enough to have manners and learn when to speak and when not to. Old enough to realize the world does not revolve around them. And yet, as I painfully watched this ten minute diatribe, I wondered why she didn't get up, have the driver pull the bus over and then, defend herself to the snot-nosed individuals for ruining what probably was a nice field trip.
Kids today are being raised to think they are entitled to everything. They have their own bedrooms, cell phones, computers, no one assigns them chores much anymore. They have no real sense of responsibility and many times when questioned about their behavior at school, many parents take the side of the kid, rather than the principal or teachers. Why? When kids grow up in an environment that is conducive to misbehavior, that will carry over into their adult lives. This is why we have adults who are selfish, who think the world revolves around their needs only, who will refuse to give anyone a compassionate step up....and I shudder to think of what it will be like several generations from now.
This country was founded on hard work. Families all pitched in to help, to keep the family stable. I can't imagine farms being successful if the conversation was ever anything like this: "Son, I need your help to go milk those cows." Son, with a sneer, " Do you MIND? I just don't feel like it! Do it YOURSELF!" Yet in today's world, it seems we are all an entity unto ourselves. We have forgotten what it feels like to be helpless and all alone. To be empathetic, one needs to be taught what it feels like to GO WITHOUT! To sacrifice ones needs for the betterment of another. To realize that true happiness doesn't happen because one person is happy, but that all are happy.
I know of a man who remarried after 20 years of single life from a divorce. Yet his adult children held that happiness against him. He was no longer a single entity, he had a wife and her children to think about also, yet his children felt they were being "abandoned," and cruelly cut him from their lives. I wonder what they tell their own kids when grandpa no longer comes around. So sad. Instead of opening their own hearts and feeling joy for their father, they made him feel guilty for carrying on with his life. What happened to the respect for another's wishes?
I think about how people turn their backs on the poor, the oppressed, the homeless, the "marginal members of society," such as alcoholics, addicts, mentally ill, developmentally disabled... God knows, if they are not "perfect" by whatever low standards we have, set for them, then they are just not "good enough" for us to be around them. Yet I have witnessed pure love from many of these folks as they struggle to wonder why no one cares.
Today I ask that each one of you examine what YOUR reaction is to another's pain. It can be from bullying, from leaving someone out in the cold, from anything that keeps you from interacting in a loving way. Then take steps to fix it. Begin by forgiving and being forgivable. Reach out and walk in the shoes of another....practice the Golden Rule. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF IT WERE YOU?
I like Verse 8...being pure in heart and able to see God. I think that you also have "seen God," your words are so inspirational. Thank you for sharing. (((hugs)))
ReplyDeletetime after time after time, I have seen, through these blogs, how you stick up for the little person. It doesn't matter what they have been dealing with, you always stand by them. They are sinners, all. You seem to love them unconditionally.
ReplyDeleteThen I remembered, I am a sinner too. I only wish I had half of the capacity to love as you do. I only wish we all could love as you do. You must have seen some real hell in your life to feel the love you feel and my question is...how do I get to that point?
The Rev is a very special person! I gave up on life in general and was preparing for a life in a small town hell hole with nothing to look forward to but Sunday Bingo, then we met, and we clicked, and some childeren of both of ours both became irritants because we were happy. Oh, heck yes, Im a sinner, ain't we all? Don't lie!!
DeleteLife is good for us except for the grand-childeren who will never know us because of their parents idiocy. It is a sad world, sometimes. Is it not?
The poor, the hungry, the grandkids who don't know, are they really not good enough? for you/me/us?
I wish I would win the Powerball!!
winning the powerball...rob...money doesn't make anyone happy! Then all your kids would want is your money. what about YOU and your wife? If they weren't happy with you before, money won't change it, it'll just make them more bitter and angry. Maybe its better THIS way---you see their true colors.
Delete<3
ReplyDeleteI gotta agree with that!
Deleteeven the saints were sinners....they only were called saints after their death. So it is with all of us.
ReplyDelete"To be empathetic, one needs to feel like to go without!" I loved that line! We have everything handed to us and to go without...who does that anymore? Even the government,through food stamps, makes sure that no one goes hungry. To not have the basic needs, maybe that should be where we begin again. I used to give my grandkids a check for their birthdays. No more. Somewhere along the way their parents forgot to teach the to feel gratitude, so why should I keep contributing to their foolish nature? So now I don't hear from them. Oh well. Learn gratitude---or go without. and to my kids, I raised you BETTER than that. It's pure laziness...that and "I can't be a friend to my kid if I don't give in to their wishes. What if--HORRORS! They don't LIKE me any more???" So, be their friend, just don't be mine until you wise up as well.
ReplyDeleteya reap what ya sow, Auntie Em....sometimes tough love is the best "love."
ReplyDeletethis is why I gave up the ministry---parents who tolerate bad misbehavior from their kids, then ask me to fix it when they are 15 and doing drugs. It burned me out! People....whatever happened to the neighbor up the street who would yell to the kid that they were gonna be in big trouble when they called their ma? Or how about, "just you wait till your father gets home?" Its because there is no father anymore. Kids are left on their own at too young an age and, like puppies, can and will find trouble. Rev Baum, you have always hit the topic square on! Don't ever stop!
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